19 September 2015

This article first appeared in The Onion, and it's too good not to repost.

WEST PALM BEACH, FL—Admitting it has had its eye on the property for
quite some time, the Atlantic Ocean confirmed Monday that it was looking
forward to moving into a beautiful beachfront mansion in the near
future.

“For the longest time it seemed like this place was completely
out of reach for me, but I’ve come a long way in the past few years, and
now it’s looking more and more like a real possibility,” said the body
of water, which confided that, after having admired the building’s
impressive exterior and grounds for so long, it was thrilled at the
prospect of finally going inside and exploring all eight bedrooms and
7,500 square feet of living area.

“I’m not quite ready yet, but in a
couple years or so, I can definitely see myself in there, making the
place completely my own. And the little beachside community that the
house is located in is just so cute, too—I can’t wait to go through and
visit all the shops and restaurants.”

The ocean noted, however, that it
might make a few cosmetic changes to the mansion once it moves in,
including gutting the lower floor and taking out a few walls.

08 September 2015

By Richard Eckersley, first published at On Line Opinion
on 4 September 2015

If you were to assess various personal
life paths and their risks and opportunities, would you choose one that
had a 1 in 2 chance of wrecking your life, or even ending it? In most
circumstances, no-one would; the risks are just too high.

Yet a new study suggests that many people think that we are taking
risks of this magnitude with our future as a civilisation or a species.
The study found most Australians (53%) believe there is a 50% or greater
chance our way of life will end within the next 100 years, and a
quarter (24%) that humans will be wiped out. These are surprisingly high
estimates; no person or organization would accept or choose this level
of risk, given the stakes.

When asked about different responses to these threats, 75% of the
Australians surveyed agreed 'we need to transform our worldview and way
of life if we are to create a better future for the world' (an
'activist' response); 44% agreed that 'the world's future looks grim so
we have to focus on looking after ourselves and those we love'
(nihilism); and 33% agreed that 'we are facing a final conflict between
good and evil in the world' (fundamentalism).